Brazilian officials say the floods and mudslides that hit Rio de Janeiro state last week were this country's deadliest natural disaster since 1900.

Civil defence authorities said that the death toll from slides triggered by deluges in mountain towns just north of Rio stood at 787 as of Saturday morning.

According to the Brussels-based International Disaster Database, the previous highest death toll in a natural disaster in Brazil was registered in 1967 when floods killed 785 in and around the city of Rio de Janeiro.

The organization's website lists Brazil's top 10 natural disasters between 1900 and 2011.

On Friday, The Rio de Janeiro public prosecutor's office said about 400 people are listed as missing following the latest disaster.